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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. club — a group
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bound — certain
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. club — for dancing
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. degree — an amount
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bound — obliged
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wake — a trail
  18. club — for golf
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bound — tied together
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com